Christine Doxey, an intern for Only In Ogden, recently had an interview with our other Democratic Congressional Candidate Peter Clemens, a physician, school board member, and father. Read about his reasons for running and other interesting facts about your candidate.

Ogden is trying to bring new jobs and businesses to the community by making it attractive for light industry and new technology businesses. One area of specific focus has been sporting and outdoors lifestyle companies. ENVE Composites is a bike manufacturer that has gone from a small business to a state and international leader. Their growth from August 2012 when they arrived in Ogden to now, April is astounding with unique designs and employment opportunities.

Do you like to bike? But are you one of those people who don't want to compete and just want to enjoy the recreation of bicycling? If so, a relatively new company has moved its headquarters to Ogden. Volagi creates bikes meant for recreational, endurance riding. Ogden City and Volagi are hoping to gain a great support from Ogden and its bikers.

Sam Hunter, an avid bicyclist, inventor, and engineer has sprung a revolutionary idea called the Infinity Pedal. The Infinity Pedal system "is the easiest and safest clip-less pedal in existence. It includes Infinite Engagement Positions and Self-Guided Engagement. What does that mean to you? Because there is no flat spot on the pedal, the pedals are much easier to get into because the pedal is always on the top Sam is basing this venture in Ogden, Utah.

Christine Doxey, an intern to Only In Ogden, interviewed the congressional candidate, author, and veteran Donna McAleer. Here are some of her insights on why she is running for congress and what ideals are important to her.

One of the first places we visited when we moved to Utah was Antelope Island. We’re huge fans of State Parks and I was so excited to see the lake, I mean, it is “The GREAT Salt Lake." We loaded up our car, packed some snacks, and took off for the Island.

In my search to learn more about this town I love, I kept stumbling on familiar names. Eccles, Peery, Browning… Browning? Wait… that caught my interest, Browning? Aren’t those firearms? Turns out, I had much to learn about the huge role Ogden played in the development of American firearms; and the role Browning firearms played in building Ogden City.

Nothing quite rounds out the winter like a sledding trip. Fun for the whole family, and (generally) free – this is a great way for the whole family to enjoy some fresh pow! We haven’t had a whole lot of snow down in the valley this year, but now you are prepared for the next storm! When the flakes fly next, pack up the kids and a thermos of hot cocoa and get sliding! Remember to wear helmets, safety first!

I had the opportunity to sit in on a filming with Jason White and his crew from New Ogden Cinema, which centralizes around promoting collaborative efforts of local Utah filmmakers. Together as a group they arrange assistance in creating and developing film in Utah. The group also helps in sharing and promoting film related projects. Jason White is currently working on a promotional trailer in order to acquire funds to complete the feature length film. I personally have very little experience in film work so it was really interesting to watch the chaos that is film-making.

When I arrived on site, I found a house that had every window and door reinforced to avoid letting in any unwanted lights or sounds. At first glance you might think they were having the house painted inside or perhaps even fumigated. Although once inside I felt the buzz of artists enjoying the labor of their craft. Whether it was the cast going over lines between scenes with the director, adjusting camera angles or the dedicated sound tech continually adjusting his equipment. There was even a certain jovial determination amongst those involved to find a work around on a last minute camera problem.

Afterward, Jason and I sat down for a short chat about New Ogden Cinema, his take on the progression of the film budgets, and information for those interested in becoming a part of New Ogden Cinema. I have included snap shots from the film shoot and clips from my conversation with Jason. I am looking forward to seeing the finished trailer and any other projects from New Ogden Cinema.

The link directly to the New Ogden Cinema Facebook page is given below. This is a great way to get introduced to the group.

Jim Curry began his music career writing and performing the opening song, “The Time of Your Life” for hissenior play.The song was then voted to be the 1975 class song and Jim was awarded a Rotary Scholarship to study music in college.Even at this early stage in his life Jim’s natural voice resembled that of singer/songwriter John Denver. Embracing the similarities, Jim continued to sing and specialize in the songs of John Denver, sharing John’s positive messages of love, humanity and environmental awareness.

The untimely death of John Denver’s in 1997 was a tragedy that was felt the world over. Such a void in the musical world left John's ardent fans demanding that his music survive. CBS television responded by producing a made for TV movie: “Take Me Home, the John Denver Story” in which Jim landed an off-camera role singing as the voice of John Denver.This experience inspired Jim to produce full–length John Denver tribute concerts.

He’s not your usual “Vegas style” impersonator.In fact, he is not an impersonator at all.Jim sings, in his own natural voice. His looks and his voice are simply a pleasant coincidence that captures the true essence of John Denver’s music. Curry’s genuine delivery rolls across the crowd as multi-platinum hits like "Rocky Mountain High," "Annie’s Song" and "Calypso" fill the room.

Jim believes that John Denver’s words still ring true in these difficult times of war and environmental crisis. Jim delivers these songs in the same spirit, with the same heartfelt care and desire to make a difference. Recently, Curry sees a growing number of younger listeners. Curry says, “These songs blend the images of our natural earth with a love for each other as people.The care you give to someone you love is the best care.Making that connection to our earth and to each other is the goal.”

Jim has createdthe ultimate tribute experience and has emerged as the top performer of John Denver’s music today.He often performs with John Denver’s former band members. Curry has taken his show on the road to Performing Arts Centers and Casinos in the US and Canada and out to sea as one of the most popular shows on the Holland America Cruise Line.

Jim performs with many of John’s Band members,Bass player Dick Kniss - who also tours with Peter Paul and Mary; Songwriter, guitar and dobro player Steve Weisberg - who penned many of John Denver’s recordings; Banjo player Jim Connor - a former member of the New Kingston Trio and author of the hit song “Grandma’s Feather Bed”; Legendary guitarist James Burton - who played with Elvis Presley, Ricky Nelson and John Denver; Chad Mitchell and the Chad Mitchell Trio; and in what would be one of his last major performances before his passing, singer/songwriter John Stewart of the famed Kingston Trio.

Jim’s latest efforts have taken his tribute show to a new level by adding symphony orchestrations back into live performances of John Denver music.When John Denver wanted to add a full orchestra to his live shows and recordings, he teamed up with Grammy Award winning arranger, composer and conductor Lee Holdridge.John’s songs along with Lee’s symphony arrangements became the trademark sound of many of John’s hits.Jim Curry and Lee Holdridge have now brought the rebirth of the timeless songs of America’s troubadour back in a full-length live concert of John Denver’s greatest works.

Whether Jim is performing with a symphony orchestra, with his talented band, or all by himself, his compelling voice, combined with dramatic images of nature is an unforgettable show that will truly fill up your senses!

Independent writer, director, and producer Ryan McDonald released a new short film this month. It's a perfect watch for Halloween in my opinion too! Ryan is based in Ogden and also serves as director of the New Ogden Cinema. This local cinema group focuses on indie-film making and advocacy for independent filmmakers. In 2009 he graduated from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor degree in Film, and Minor in Mass Communication. McDonald also a serves on the Egyptian Theatre Foundation Board.

-Regarding the title, is it a play on the title of older John Travolta comedy?

Yes. I originally had planned on that only being a working title, but over time the title stuck. I liked the idea of it calling to memory the John Travolta film for the audience, they’re nostalgia of how cute or funny they thought that film to be, and then turning that on them – in my film – by going into a darker direction. I find that the title is inviting, and then once I have your attention than I take the story where I wanted to go.

-Are there any influences you want to share?

I like to say that the film is a cross between Look Who’s Talking (1989) and John Carpenter’s Village of the Damned(1995). The idea stemmed from a discussion that my wife and I were having about how many people tend to die or are murdered in my films. She was pregnant at the time and had asked if I would do anything more along the lines for kids or have more kids and small children in my films. I kind of balked at the idea initially. But then I started thinking, ‘What if I did do something that was light and cute, and then made everything turn horribly wrong.’

I thought it was something quick that we could do and that it would be a lot of fun. I think that we achieved that goal at least.

-how much of the baby's body movements were staged? Example: the two fingers in his mouth.

That was all by happy accident. Mande Opheikens, our editor, combed over all of the footage to find those moments that work great in contrast to the other images. The only direction that I provided for the baby, Mitchell BenjaminThomas, was a range of different emotions – Happy, sad, and angry. And from there I figured we would capture as much footage as we could of him and hope for the best. We filmed Mitchell’s part separately from the others in these long takes for about half a day. The real gems of his performance, such as the fingers in the mouth and that long stare that he gives, were all discovered by our editor Mande.

-I have to ask, is it really based on a true story?

Haha, no! Obvisiouly not. That was inspired by Fargo, the movie begins by stating that it is, “Based on true story,” even though it is not. Again, I was trying to hold people’s hands coming into the short and giving them the impression that the film would be quirky and funny. Well, I think that it is still funny. I have found that most people don’t catch it the first time around. It’s only on the second viewing that they finally see the joke.

-Do you have any funny or interesting points from shooting or about cast & crew?

I think that the two biggest challenges were filming with the dog and also the baby. It is said that those are the two things to always avoid filming, but in our case it worked out really well. The dog in the video is mine. She did really well with the simple commands that were needed. I wasn’t too sure how she would react when the Dad (Orion Hansen) hits her with the newspaper, but she took it really well. In the Youtube version I left a compilation reel at the end with all of the different takes that we did for that scene.

Working with the baby (Mitchell Benjamin Thomas) was really easy as well. We filmed everything but the baby first, even before we had the baby cast. So, every shot without the baby was done months prior, and the actors were acting towards sheets of paper that I had drawn faces on. I wanted to give us a full day were we could focus on only the baby and his performance. That is why there are not any two shots with Mitchell and any of the other characters.

-Futures plans for this project?

Right now the short film is available online via Youtube, and we are also submitting it to film festivals across the nation. I think that the small running time will make it a good prospect for a lot of the short film festivals that are out there. We look forwarded to getting a chance to see the film screen in front of an audience. In the meantime, we’ve also had positive feedback from those that saw the film on Youtube.

On Wednesday, October 09, 2013 - 7:30pm - 9:30pm Travis LeDoyt is a truly remarkable singer, performer, songwriter, and musician (piano, keyboard, guitar) he is also one the most convincing, awe inspiring Young Elvis tribute acts to the stage. Don't believe me? Check out this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O3Str__0zWM

I'm certainly not the only one wondering what to do with all the ripening fruit in their yard. I am toying around with some new recipes this year. One of the fruit trees in our yard is a cherry plum. I decided to make jam with the extra that I didn't dehydrate. Here's the recipe!

TART SPICED CHERRY PLUM JAM

About 5 cups of cherry plums, chopped and pitted

2 1/2 tbsp of freshly squeezed lime juice

3 tablespoons of low sugar pectin

½ cup to 1 cup honey ( Or your preferred sweetener )

1/2 cup water

Combine plums, pectin and lemon juice in a nonreactive (ceramic or stainless steel) pan and cook on medium heat.

The plums will start liquifying slowly.

Once the plums start to break down, add 1/2 cup water & stir well. Return to a boil.

Remove the foam that forms on the top. Or an easy option to minimize foam is to add a little butter.

Stir in honey or preferred sweetener and cook for another 10-15 minutes or until it thickens to a syrup consistency.

Meanwhile, clean the jam jars well, along with the lid. Lightly dry them & then boil submerged in a large pot.

Carefully remove and shake dry. Pour while both jam and jars are hot to prevent cracked jars. Pour the jam up to about 1/2-1/8 inch from top.

Close the lid tightly and invert the bottle to help the Jam set well for about 5 minutes.

Set jars at least half way submerged in hot boiling water and leave it for another 8-10 minutes. This will help prevent the jam from spoiling.

Image Gallery

The Weber County Fair was held Wednesday, August 7 - Saturday, August 10 2013.

Here are a few Snap Shots from Saturday afternoon. This is always a great event that offers a wide range of exhibitions and contests. Always great crafts, food, educational opportunities, and so much more.

Last weekend Summit hosted their annual BIG EVENT. The Summit Series, this time called "Summit Outside". Summit Outside was a massive event put on by a team who's goal is to create a platform and a community that fosters collaboration and amplifies the positive impact of global leaders and innovators. Instead of renting a cruise ship for their guests, as they did in year's past, this year Summit outdid themselves this year by buying all the dirt underfoot before the bash... In fact, they bought the entire mountain. Powder Mountain that is, all 7000 acres of it!

Saturday, June 15, 2013. Perry's Egyptian Theater presented a special evening with world famous organist, Rob Richards. Richards is the resident House Organist at Disney's El Capitan theatre in Hollywood, where he has performed over six-thousand times on the legendary “Mighty Wurlitzer” pipe organ since 1999. This event speaks to the history of the theater, which was originally built as a movie palace in 1924. During its early years, the theater was a common place to screen silent movies with a live organist playing along to the movie.

Rob Richards is not your average theater organist. The evening presented an integration of computer music technology with the pipe organ. This notion can be divisive among the traditionalists in the organ world. However, it crafts a new brand of music in which Rob is conductor, arranger and performer. This inventive advance to keyboard music radically expands the potential of this instrument for future organist and contemporary audiences.

Rob Richards was recognized by the by the American Theatre Organ Society in 2005 with the " Organist of the Year" award.Richards has performed for multiple Hollywood icons, and has even shared the stage at events with famed stars like Liberace, Julie Andrews, Dick Van Dyke and Elton John. He has emerged on numerous national TV programs & received praise from critics. Throughout seven international concert tours, his blend of technical ability and personal flair has earned him support spanning the entire world.

The best Greek place you may have never heard of. Train City Eats tries out hand cut rib eyes and tender, marinated souvlaki. Meanwhile Zach sits down with a couple of walking legends that changed the face of Greek food in the area.

It has recently been announced that Powder Mountain ski resort has been purchased by the Summit Series, a group of young and passionate entrepreneurs.

The Forbes article describes the Summit Series' intentions for purchasing the ski resort, "The Summit group, co-founded by Elliott Bisnow , Brett Leve, Jeff Rosenthal and Jeremy Schwartz in 2008, plans to operate Powder Mountain, a long-time local-favorite, for the public just as it has been since the 1970s. The new twist will be a member-only lodge (under construction now) and an event center atop the mountain, and expanded access to adventure skiing and hiking terrain."

Techcrunch.com spoke with an investor, Tim Chang, who has worked with the Summit Series. He speaks about the potential the group has to promote an entrepreneurial community in a ski resort surrounding. "'One of the best ways to really get to know somebody is to go outside the boardroom, go outside the pitch meeting, and get outside of just the conferences,' says Chang, who sees the new mountain village as a place to gather potential partners with an eclectic crowd for some secluded big thinking. 'The community portion — the networking, the people — that could be even more valuable than just the straight return on investment for a vacation property.'"

The Summit Series has already held several conferences and events at their temporary lodge in Ogden Valley, but are looking forward to making Powder Mountain their year round home.

Crazy costumes, fun prizes and endless sushi were the highlights of Tona restaurant's Halloween Buffet Party. Party-goers were able to try all of Tona's signature dishes from their Avalanche roll to their Gyoza potstickers leaving everyone satisfied. Hourly prizes were given to the most extravagant and creative costumes and with silly monsters, elaborate princesses and scary zombies in attendance there were plenty of worthy winners. The owners, Tina and Tony, most definitely know how to throw a howling party and we are anxiously awaiting their next event.